CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2001 Civic has transmission problems, transmission problems & more transmission problems. Did we mention transmission problems? And a dangerous defect with the front airbag that didn't get recalled for 10 years.

Although eventually the defective 2001 Civic airbag inflators were fixed under recalls in 2011 & 2013, that meant for 10 to 12 years airbags were activating with excessive force where metal fragments went shooting into passengers when the airbag deployed.

As for the 2001 Civic's transmission woes? Honda conducted a major transmission recall in 2004 & settled a class action lawsuit for defective transmissions in 2006. But, neither the recall or the lawsuit included the 2001 Civic.

Last thing to consider - the 2001 Civic is the most-recalled car ever, closely followed by the 2002 Civic & the 2001 Accord. The 2001 Civic is the 4th most-recalled vehicle overall, only a Ford truck & two Ford vans have more.

9.3

really awful
Typical Repair Cost:
$2,320
Average Mileage:
104,800 miles
Total Complaints:
682 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. replaced transmission (261 reports)
  2. rebuilt whole transmission (154 reports)
  3. not sure (142 reports)
  4. get Honda to cover the cost (54 reports)
  5. buy a different car...can't afford the repair (24 reports)
  6. break down the transmission and fix (15 reports)
2001 Honda Civic transmission problems

transmission problem

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2001 Honda Civic Owner Comments (Page 14 of 35)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #422

May 052010

Civic LX-G

  • Automatic transmission
  • 80,778 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Wow, wish I had known about the 2001 Civic problem a few years earlier. Then I would've been able to sell the car for a better price. Now it's a piece of junk, sitting in my parking space waiting to get fixed.

It died on me on the road like everyone else's. I had a whining sound for a while, but thought it might have been the timing belt or maybe even the alternator. I was going to have the transmission fluid replaced, but it didn't make it. I'm shocked, to say the least, the problems the Civic has, as I bought it thinking I'd run it to the ground and get a new one. But I didn't think it would happen in less than 9 years! I'm quite disappointed with Honda and looking to buy a Toyota next.

- Hitomi N., Burnaby, BC, Canada

problem #421

Apr 302010

Civic EX 2.0four cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 95,000 miles

Hey...I guess I am not alone with this problem.My transmission died in the parking lot at work and had to tow it to AAMCO (highly acclaimed recognized dealer and much cheaper than Honda) .I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.My car was bought with 39,000 from a dealership (Autoway Dodge) 2.5years ago. A one owner car,(elderly lady who had all maintenance records). I chose Honda for its reputation and am very disappointed in HONDA. They did not come through for me this time. I have own several Hondas and Toyotas. I got my car fixed and took the loss. SOLD it last week and bought a new 2010 HYUNDAI ELANTRA with 10yr/100,000 drive train/trans warranty.

I am certainly in no position to fork out 2000 and will pursue this issue with Honda and the BBB.

A Happy Hyundai owner now

- bar1061cs, Clearwater, FL, US

problem #420

May 212010

Civic LX 1.8L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 84,098 miles

Pretty much the same complaint,my transmission blew on the middle of the highway and I have to get it towed and to nearest Honda dealership.And then they obviously have to charge me 95 dollars to look at it called Diagonist Fee and then I was told to get a new transmission.This is f*cked Up,never had a problem before with HONDA, thou I love Honda I never seen such problems before..

- Abid H., Albany, NY, US

problem #419

Apr 122010

Civic EX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 57,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I just purchased an 01 Honda civic EX just yesterday with the transmission down. I thought it would be a easy fixed due to the fact that I can get it repaired by a friend and just buy the transmission for a 1000 or so. However, after coming across this website I NOW KNOW that I made THE BIGGEST mistakes in my life. Now I am thinking of getting the car running and selling it AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. It is not worth my money or time because I'm a college student who doesn't need to add on more stress esp. knowing that the transmission IS gonna break down anytime and I'm a girl who know nothing when it comes to my car braking down in the street. The problem with transmission is exactly how all the rest of the complaints describe it. DO NOT PURCHASE an 01 honda civic if your even thinking about it. "MAJOR REGRET!"

- Julie X., Fresno, CA`, US

problem #418

May 062010

Civic ES 2.0L

  • Manual transmission
  • 50,000 miles

My wife bought my son a 2001 Honda Civic from a local dealership with 17,000 miles on it as the former owner kept the car in great shape and put little mileage on the car. We made a terrible mistake in not having the repair shop not test the car for any mechanical problems. The dealership put pressure on my wife to buy the car or someone else would because of it's great condition and low miles. Needless to say my wife made the decision. My son has been using the car for 2 years and did not have problems until recently when the car started shaking. I took the car to a reputable car repair facility who had to replace the ball joints and indicated the transmission was going to imminently fail. The owner of the car repair ship indicated the 2001 Honda Civic has a history of transmission problems and he would check with the dealer to see if the manufacturer would replace. The Car dealership responded it's the owner's problem. I have purchased 3 Honda Accords and been very satisfied with their performance and reliability. I am calling Honda but feel very pessimistic they will account for the systemic transmission problems and live up to the poor workmanship and higher than acceptable failure rate. I feel like I have been ripped off

and will reluctantly buy Honda as I have never had a problem with the Toyota's I have purchased and used. The moral lesson is to always have a skilled mechanic check a car out before buying. It's well worth the $50.

- Joe B., Marietta, GA, US

problem #417

Apr 242010

Civic LX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 92,000 miles

My daughter's 2001 Honda Civic's transmission stopped working on the interstate leaving her stranded. We have owned several hondas and never had a problem. Still own a honda van. This was such an odd thing to happen. We actually thought there might have been fowl play with the transmission fluid. I got curious and started researching the web when I came across this site. I also went to the NHTSA site to see if I could lodge a complaint, which you can.

I would suggest that everyone that has this problem go to http://www.nhtsa.gov/ and in the upper right hand corner in a blue box you can submit your complaint. You should also contact the Better Business Bureau and submit a complaint. There is a action in numbers, so I would encourage all of you to complain, not only to Honda, but to as many places as possible.

- rocksea, Midwest City, OK, US

problem #416

Apr 182010

Civic LX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 120,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Pretty much the same complaint. 01 Honda Civic, about 120,000.My wife was driving late at night and the car just gave up and would not go faster than 2 miles an hour. It happened as she was coming off of the highway and she barely made it out. She put her hazards and was lucky enough that a tow truck happened to be nearby. She was towed to a near garage and we have to go there at 8am tomorrow to find out all the details.What sucks is that we have a 9 am appointment at a doctor with our baby and then i have to go to work too.Don't know how we are going to do all this. On top of that with the new baby and possibly another one soon, we were looking to buy another,bigger and this time new car. Our obvious choice was Honda, but after reading the amount of complaints i think we will go for a Toyota instead ( at least they are owning up to their mistake and i am sure due to that their cars will be more reliable than any others now). Bye Honda!

- mieszko, Arverne, NY, US

problem #415

Apr 302010

Civic LX 4.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 119,000 miles

was driving home from work and the car started to act up I knew it was the tranmission I never did get home as I was trying to get up a hill with the car just wanting to get home it just died called AAA got towed and then started looking on the net for problems with Honda Civics and found this site I am talking with the dealership in am and after reading that is a common problem with the civics I am going to have a fight on my hand to get this car fixed I need a reliable car I have a disabled son that I need to get around and this is a big problem no car but I am going to try and get them to take some the cost off of me I have always maintained my car did all the scheduled services and now the car just dies this is awful

- Linda C., Weymouth, MA, US

problem #414

Aug 022009

Civic LX 4 cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 58,000 miles

I had never missed a scheduled maintenance for my Honda Civic. When the transmission died after less than 60,000 miles in less than 8 years of ownership (200 miles from home) , my dealer service manager (with whom I am on a first name basis) could offer no advice other than to make sure to use an an authorized Honda service station so that I would get a new certified Honda transmission. Totally clueless that the transmission on these vehicle has been failing all over the world. The rebuilt Honda transmission died 6 months later with the same premonitory slipping. When yet another shop repaired it, the mechanic had no idea why it had failed.

Wake up, America, the Japan of our youth has been resurrected, once again a byword for slipshod manufacture precision engineered to die shorty after the expiration of warranty. I have since purchased a GM sedan for less than a new Civic would have cost and it it doesn't feel like a toy. Buy American.

- rileyohio, Columbus, OH, US

problem #413

Feb 172010

Civic EX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 170,000 miles

Ok, so the mileage is just a guess. I have to do some math there because my speedometer went out a few years ago and I had to replace the dash cluster. It's a close estimate though. So for a while my boyfriend has been telling me to get my transmission checked because he thought it was acting strange. I didn't think it was a problem since it had felt the same as when I bought the car 4 years ago. About a month ago it decided to start making whining noises and then it didn't last too long after that. The next day I couldn't even get up the small hill by our house on the way to work. I managed to get to work then drop my car off to pick up an extra car that my mom has.

This car is really turning into a piece of junk. I thought Honda's were supposed to last forever? My dad has one that is still running great and it's 10 years older than mine!!

- Haley W., Santa Fe, NM, US

problem #412

Mar 232010

Civic LX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 87,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I've always maintained my 2001 Honda Civic carefully and had never had a significant problem before now. My transmission failed suddenly, and I have fewer than 90,000 miles on it. The whole reason I chose a Honda Civic in the first place was that it was a relatively inexpensive car that was supposed to be reliable and have great longevity. The local Honda dealership says I need an entirely new transmission that will cost $3,250! Because it's very reasonable to expect a Honda to last over 125,000 miles, I was not financially prepared for this kind of expense.

I can not afford to buy a new car, and maybe not even a used one, so I am extremely disappointed. I've asked Honda to do some goodwill repair on this since I see the '01 Civics have commonly have had this problem. I do feel that they should take care of the cost. If they don't and I am therefore dependent on bus transportation, I will have a huge bone to pick with them and may have to consider litigation.

- Christina S., Kennesaw, GA, US

problem #411

Mar 222010

Civic LX 1.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 78,000 miles

Another one BITES THE DUST!!! As well documented by 400+ others on this site. My daughters 2001 Honda Civic's transmission just quit on her on the interstate, leaving her stranded in rush hour. She had no prior notice or symtoms or warning just stopped in the middle of the road!!! Had it towed to the Honda dealership, checked out and Honda will not let the dealership repair the tranny, it has to be replaced with a rebuilt one to the tune of $2900. the dealership was proactive and contacted American and reduced the charge to $1500. BUT THE CAR ONLY HAS 77,000 MILES, even thou it is 9 years old. The reason we purchased a HONDA is for reliability, in which we have experienced with 7 honda's owned in the past 25 years. This one let us down.

- mllangley, Baton Rouge, LA, US

problem #410

Mar 042010

Civic LX 1.7L I4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 123,000 miles

When I purchased the car for my kid who was going to college, I purchase the car used from a private dealer for $9k three years ago with 66k miles. It is now 123k miles with transmission problem. I used consumer reports to look at problem vehicles and didn't see any problems with this vehicle. Mostly solid red no white bubbles in consumer reports for the 2001 model. I was unaware of this site and didn't search Google 3 years ago. Lesson learned here. The problem with the transmission is that when you start to accelerate to about 20 mph, the car starts to rev and doesn't appear to shift gears. I have to let go off the accelerator pedal then press on it again then it goes up to 50 mph but afraid to go past this speed. Recently, it appears that keeping in drive car does not accelerate. I have to move it to the 2 gear to get it to move again.

I called Honda American Service and said they couldn't do anything about it. It is going to cost $3500 to repair from Honda dealer with 36000 mile warranty. I informed their cust. rep. that I have 3 other Hondas and will never buy another Honda again. I am looking to put them on the market while they are still running. It appears that buying a used car is a big risk and hit and miss when it comes to reliability. It is better to buy lease for 3 years that has warranty. Toyota has a 2010 Corolla LE lease deal until 5/3/2010 for $159/month 3 year 36000 mile warranty with 2 years maintenance free on oil change and tire rotation and $999 down with $500 rebate which is $400 out of your pocket down. I appreciate this website and learned my lesson with used cars and buying new cars.

- pgalli, Woodway, TX, US

problem #409

Apr 152010

Civic EX 1.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 95,000 miles

2001 civic trans problem..add to the list. Complete maintenance as second owner. Timing belt, regular oil changes, fluids replaced as per manual. Check engine light has come on and off for over 6 months. When on, checked by 2 dealer locations and 1 independent; all told the code shows trans failure and vehicle is known for converter failure - No problems noticed when driving - Told to drive it till it fails, then fix. Recent overheating, head gasket replaced and head sent to machine shop. Appears from complaints filed, this is common just prior to the trans failure. adding my complaint now cause clearly its coming. Had the head work done by the dealer so they could check the trans at the same time - told the exact same;drive it till if dies then deal with it. While in doing the head, off course additional repairs suggested; motor mount, drain plug rethread attempted, pan replaced, door lock regulator, fluid change ..finally at 2600 in repairs I advised do not call me for any more repairs or I'll have to bring a tow truck . Repairs approaching value of car. Plan to update when trans fails. Appears failure is definite - question is when...update will be posted..

- Roxann W., Bakersfield, CA, US

problem #408

Apr 072010

Civic EX 1.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 120,000 miles

Are you kidding me! I called Honda customer service 800 999 1099 for a "goodwill repair" they said there is nothing they can do. What a bunch of crap. Its obvious by looking at how many people have had there transmissions fail that this is happening on almost all 01 civics. HONDA = SUCK

- snicky, Marlborough, MA, US

problem #407

Apr 222010

Civic

  • Automatic transmission
  • 91,000 miles

So I went to the Honda dealership to get my airbag replaced because it was recalled. While I was there I told them to look at the driver side window because it was not rolling down. What I thought would take maybe 2 hours took 5. When I was leaving the service station I noticed that my car was not accelerating correctly. Then when I pulled out of the parking lot, it wouldn't go. I put my foot on the gas and it just rolled a bit. I was able to pull it back into the dealership and they had to roll it to the service station. I ended up spending another 5 hours there until someone could come and pick me up. The next day they called and said that the transmission had failed. They told me it would cost about $3500 to replace. But they said that sometimes Honda offers "goodwill" repairs, so they are going to check into that. I'm lucky because I live within walking distance to work, so I'm not in a big rush to get my car back. My question is, should I get the transmission replaced if Honda helps me out? I can't even afford to pay 1/4 of that right now. But the idea of buying another car really pisses me off, because I just paid this one off in Feb. I bought a Honda because I thought that it would be reliable. Never again.

- Mary R., Atlanta, GA, US

problem #406

Jan 022010

Civic EX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 130,000 miles

how many failures till we get a recall? then when the recall comes. (not that it ever will) how many people will be compensated. i bet only the ones that didn't take any steps to fix the tranny will. its ridiculous that when you call a mechanic about an 01 civic they tell you transmission failure is common. its even more of a joke that HONDA knows its an issue and has done nothing about it. my failure occurred at 4 am. 15 degree weather in upstate ny. lucky for me i was able to get cell phone service to call for a tow, and the car remained running so i didn't freeze. this is a serious issue that needs national attention..

- Andrew L., Hadley, NY, US

problem #405

Mar 132010

Civic EX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 102,000 miles

I bought a Honda Civic because it was supposed to be the most reliable car in the market. Now at 102,000 odd miles I have to shell out the equivalent of the down payment on a car (3000 bucks) to have my transmission rebuilt. This is just terrible. I will contact Honda customer service and gripe and see if that does any good.Doesn't this website have enough complaints regarding 2001 Honda Civic Transmission problems to warrant a lawsuit of some sort?

- P D., Valencia, CA, US

problem #404

Nov 012008

Civic EX 1.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 92,281 miles

I bought this car brand new. What a piece of crap! You name it, I've probably replaced it. The worst problem by far is the transmission. With the first few months of having the car, the transmission was slipping. It ran like this for years. In November 2008, I went to a friends house in the middle of nowhere, where cell phone service does not even reach on a mountain. On my way up, I was thinking how great my car was running. As soon as I left the house around midnight and I was in complete darkness with no houses, the car decides that it wants to make this loud revving noise but no longer move. I just barely had made it to the top of the hill and coasted down this mountain at full speed for fear of not being able to get going. Somehow barely coasted to the main street, blew through a stop sign make a hard right and another hard right into the grocery store parking lot where I can get cell phone service and the car just stopped. Everything worked in the car when I turned it on later, it just did not move. Called AAA which cost an arm and a leg and the guy said he never saw this before. I towed it in the middle of the night to my regular mechanic. Two days later on Monday, he told me that I have to bring it to Honda because it's the transmission. He printed out a "bulletin" for me similar to a recall. I called the Honda company and got a case number and complained to them. I printed out all kinds of documentation stating this is a known problem, etc. I towed the car to the dealer. They would not do anything so I argued and finally told them that I would leave my car there until they fixed it. They worked with me since I argued that I expected to get at least 100,000 miles out of that car without a major problem and so far I've replaced half the parts in the car! I told them I had an 1989 Trans Am GTA with 180,000 miles on it with never a major problem and I should have kept it! They ended up paying for the transmission and I just paid $200.00 for a 3 year 36,000 mile warranty. That was on 11/1/08. The transmission is slipping again. I'm prepared for it to die again sometime soon. I despise this car!! It's the worst ever. I will never buy another Honda again because of this. I was even told by some employees at Honda that their cars especially the Accords and minivans are known for the transmissions dying. Then fix them!!!!!

- Lisa M., Hillsborough, NJ, US

problem #403

Mar 082010

Civic EX 4 cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 141,000 miles

I currently own a 2001 Honda Civic EX. Last week I was headed home from work and my car started revving up and wouldn't go. I had to pull over and have my husband meet me to help get it home. After several auto shop and wrecker bills later, I have a bad transmission. This has really pissed me off. I understand that my car is old and it has 141,000 miles on it BUT I have taken immaculate care of this car. I am the original owner. I have changed the oil every 3,000 miles and stayed up to date on all the other services that Honda has recommended. Newer cars are definitely not made like they used to be. I was hoping to get at least 200- 300,00 miles out of my car. I called the dealership that I purchased it from hoping I would get some assistance. That was not the case. They wanted me to have them hook it up to their machine to see if it was the transmission before they could tell me if Honda would help with any costs for repairing it. They only way I could get it to them would be on a wrecker. By the time I got it down there, paid the wrecker and their service charge, I would have over $300 just to confirm something I have already been told 3 times! I don't think so. The dealership said that with the miles my car has on it and with it being a 2001, he highly doubted me getting any help. WTF?? A new transmission from Honda would cost me approximately $3,000. So then I called this "800 goodwill repair number". And they basically said the same thing.... This has really angered me. Honda's service has really sucked. You would think that after all the problems other 2001 Civic owners have had, they would issue a recall. It is supposably "not a safety issue". How is going down the road and suddenly your car won't accelerate not a safety issue? Whatever. I will never own another Honda. I will tell everyone I know about my bad experience with them as well. So, if you are reading this and considering buying a used 2001 Civic...DON'T. Even better, if you are a Honda rep reading this .....YALL SUCK!

- whitegarcia, Dahlonega, GA, US

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